As The World Crumbles Around Me
by SS3Brolli
Summary: A new mutant, Nathan, is found, with a strange new power. My first X-men Evo fic, but hey, I like it so far! I have no real idea where this fic will go in the future, so the rating may change in later chapters.
1. As The World Crumbles Around Me

My first 'X-men evolution' fic. Be kind. I only watch the show when I can, which isn't as often as I'd like. ---------------------------------  
  
He ran and ran until he couldn't run any more. His run slowed to a walk, and finally, stopped. He fell to the ground, panting  
  
and grasping at his chest. Tears fell from his eyes, forming a small puddle just below his face. "Why?" he cried. "Why am I  
  
such a disgusting... THING? Why does everything fall apart around me?' His thoughts whirling through his head, he crawled  
  
under the concrete bridge nearby, and the world around him faded into a dreamless sleep.  
  
_______  
  
"What is it professor?" asked jean. The professor took off the helmet that was his link to the system known as Cerebro. "Is  
  
Wolverine alright?" she persisted. Wolverine had gone back up into the Canadian Rockies, to check out a recent clue about his  
  
past. Recently, however, his communications system had gone down, and the professor had grown concerned. After a few  
  
hours, the professor decided to use Cerebro to check on how Wolverine was doing. Wolverine was fine, though he had found  
  
nothing, and was staying in a small motel for the night. What WAS concerning the professor was a mutant signal that was less  
  
then 100 miles away. It seemed very distressed.  
  
"Professor?" jean asked.  
  
"Yes, Wolverine is fine..."  
  
"Then what's wrong?"  
  
"It may be nothing, but... I think I'll send Logan to check it out. You needn't worry about it though."  
  
"Alright..." But she wasn't all right. She was concerned for the professor. He seemed more distant, ever since the public had  
  
become more aware of mutants.  
  
________  
  
"Hey, kid." Wolverine nudged the boy with a boot. He looked healthy enough physically, minus the red under his eyes and state of his clothes. But the twisted look his face, and location he had fallen asleep, made it clear there was something terribly  
  
wrong. He was wearing faded, dirty blue jeans, and a dirty, black t-shirt, the seams in the under arms coming undone. His light  
  
brown hair was faded into blond, but in streaks, mostly in the front.  
  
Logan nudged him again. The boy moaned, but opened his eyes, looking up at Logan with fear, as well as hate and sadness. His  
  
eyes were ice blue, but the night before had left red in them. "What do you want?" asked the boy. "I just want to help you."  
  
suspicion was added to the emotions on the boy' face. "No you don't." he replied, and started to get up. The cement under him  
  
was cracked and coming off in small chunks.  
  
"I've come from a place for people like you and me." explained Logan. The boy snapped his head around to stare into Logan's  
  
eyes with his own, piercing set. "Oh, really." he shouted sarcastically. "And what kind of people are those?" his voice quieted  
  
to a whisper "I have less in common with you than you know..." Logan raised his hand, open palm, a foot away front of his  
  
face. Claws shot up from between his fingers, and he closed his hand into a fist. "Mutants. We're both mutants." he said, his  
  
voice showing a hint of smugness.  
  
The boy looked horrified at first, then just scared. "How do you do that without bleeding?" he asked, the fear clear in his voice.  
  
Logan's claws retracted, and he let his arm drop to his side. "Come with me. I'll explain it to you on the way."  
  
The two walked together toward the road. "I'm Logan, by the way. What's your name?" "My name is Nathan." They  
  
approached Logan's motorcycle "I don't have to get on that thing do I?" asked Nathan, sounding slightly alarmed. "What's the  
  
matter, Scared?" asked Logan, mockingly. "Yes" replied Nathan, Wide eyed. "Don't you know what's wrong with me?" "You  
  
mean your Mutation? Your powers?" Nathan looked at him with a cold look in his eyes. "I wish it were something I could call  
  
a *power*" His eyes turned to the ground. "Things around me... fall apart. Starting from their weakest point. At first it was  
  
discreet, something not even *I* noticed. My headphones would have a little broken wire in it, after a few weeks of me using  
  
them. After a few months, my computer monitor would start to act up, and we found that it had a bad connection cord. A chairs  
  
cushion would start to rip, but soon the entire frame collapses. My clothes would start to wear away after wearing them for a  
  
week or two. Recently, though, my problems have been growing bigger, faster! It seems that anything I touch seems to fall  
  
apart, and faster each day!"  
  
"I can understand why you might be afraid, then." noted Logan, as he, himself feared the boy would destroy his beloved bike.  
  
"Maybe we can... um..." and he was stumped "Um, how long does it take before things start to fall apart right now?" "It  
  
depends on the material. Metal can take from a few days, to a few hours, depending on what kind it is!"  
  
Logan started to think. "Come with me, kid. I have a phone call to make."  
  
_______  
  
"And he says it takes at least few hours for it to start on metal. So I thought that, since the X-jet would need less than an  
  
hour..."  
  
"I see your point. Thought I am a bit hesitant, for obvious reasons."  
  
"You got any better Ideas?" asked Logan.  
  
"Unfortunately not. I'll send a small team right away."  
  
*Click*  
  
Wolverine walked back over to the table that Nathan had refused to sit down at. "So, Kid, ever been in an airplane before?"  
  
asked Logan, trying to strike up a conversation. "Once when I was really little. My family's kind of poor, especially since my  
  
problem started to really manifest."  
  
"Oh, I see.... and when did that start, exactly?" Asked Logan, hoping to learn something about the boy's powers.  
  
"Well I think it started working on people when I was young..." "Wait" interrupted Wolverine. " You never said that people  
  
started to fall apart!!" shouted Wolverine, slowly inching backwards.  
  
"No, not physically. Just mentally." his voice became shaky "I'm not even sure that it's part of my 'mutation'. My mom was  
  
the only person I was around a whole lot till I was 5, but when I was 8 years old... she just fell apart inside. She ran away, and  
  
forgot who she was, who I was! She's been in and out of mental hospitals ever since." his voice started to clear up. "I think my  
  
step-dad was getting pretty bad when I left the house, and I'm concerned for my little brothers and sister. None of them seem  
  
*right* to me anymore. That's why I ran away from home."  
  
"I see..." said Logan, slowly. He sat down at the table. "You sure you don't want to sit down for even a minute ore two?"  
  
Nathan shook his head. Logan shrugged. "Alright." he sighed. "We might as well wait by my bike"  
  
_______  
  
Nathan sat on the ground, a good twenty feet from Logan and his Motorcycle. They had been waiting for the others to arrive for  
  
20 minutes. It had been a long 20 minutes. And Logan thought something stank. A very familiar stink. "Hey, Kid. Look for a  
  
place to hide, QUICK!" But before Nathan could, a giant, blond, beast of a man came tearing out of nowhere. It grabbed him  
  
around the chest with one arm, and used the other hand to secure its grip on his neck. Nathan's eyes got big. "Well well well!  
  
What have we got here?" laughed Sabertooth. He turned his evil grin towards Wolverine. "Another brat for yer freak show?"  
  
Wolverine's claws came unsheathed. "Put the kid down, ugly! Yer fight's with ME!!!"  
  
"I don't think so. If you try ANYTHING, I'll snap his neck. But maybe I'll just do that anyway!" sabertooth leered. He loved to  
  
torment his rival in any way he could. He could hear the boy's heart beat faster and faster, until each beat mixed with the sound  
  
of the previous. Sabertooth wondered whether the boy was about to have a heart attack. Suddenly, the beating stopped, and  
  
Wolverine's eye's grew wide, as his own super senses aware of the boy's heart beat from his current 16 feet away. The boy's  
  
chest heaved, and his eyes started to flutter, his face turning bluish in a matter of seconds. Both the trench coat and shirt of  
  
Sabertooth, as well as the boys own shirt almost instantly, soundlessly, fell apart, shriveling into nothing before they even left  
  
their shoulders. Nathan's face returned to its regular colour, and his heart started to beat again, slowly at first, then faster until it  
  
became a regular beat. In the blink of an eye, Nathan grabbed the hands of his attacker, released himself, and sent the stunned  
  
mutant flying a good thirty feet through the air. Nathan himself looked quit stunned, and looked at Logan for a reaction. Logan  
  
had a few, surprise and confusion being two of the more prominent. "What the hell was that?"  
  
"I... I don't know. Th-that's never happened before!" stuttered Nathan. "And it's never gonna happen again, either!" roared  
  
Sabertooth, as he came running back at the boy. But Wolverine intervened, putting himself between his rival and the  
  
mysterious youth. "Outta my way, RUNT!!" roared the larger mutant. "I need to pay him back for what he did to me and my  
  
coat back there." "Fat chance, BUB!" shouted Wolverine, launching himself at Sabertooth.  
  
Suddenly, the Blackbird flew over the horizon, and Sabertooth decided to get revenge another day. Wolverine was less than  
  
happy at the timing. "Coward!" he shouted. His insult went unanswered, and Logan glanced to see if his new companion was  
  
all right. However, he was nowhere to be seen. "Hey, kid, it's alright! You can...." but he stopped. Just beyond the tattered  
  
remains of Nathan's shoes, footprints opened huge gashes in the cracked earth. It was easy to tell they went far into the  
  
distance.  
  
"...DAMMIT!" 


	2. Insight on the mutant

Sorry this took so long to come out with the second chapter. It's been written for a long time, but I've been too lazy and/or busy to download it. This is still something I do on the side, and my life has dibs on time. Always. Although REVEIWS would probably help get this done faster.  
  
..........  
  
Wolverine and others had decided to follow Nathan's trail in the X-jet. The tracks where easy enough to follow, since  
  
the 'footprints' of shattered cement became farther apart, but larger. The current trail consisted of three-foot wide  
  
potholes, each one nine feet apart. They had put the X-jet in its lowest 'gear', as to not pass the boy completely, but  
  
now it seemed they would never catch up.  
  
"Hey, kick it up a notch! We've been going this speed for over an hour!" complained Kurt. "And we can't even see  
  
this new guy on the horizon!" every one else nodded in silent agreement. It was true; they had already gone 90 miles  
  
and not seen anything but his 'footprints'. The jet sped up, ever so slightly, going from 80mph to170mph.  
  
"Didn't the professor say his ability was, like, breaking things?" asked Shadowcat "How'd he get super speed?" It was  
  
a question on everyone's mind, especially Wolverine. Sabrtooth was no lightweight, and after the little display Nathan  
  
had put on, it was clear that super speed wasn't the only mystery ability this boy had.  
  
A human figure appeared on the horizon, completely unaware that the X-jet was silently creeping up on him. As it got  
  
closer, the X-jet slowed to match his speed of 105mph. Large sections of cement road would implode around every  
  
step, each step pushing him another ten feet through the air, each step as fast as lighting.  
  
"Err, now that we've found him, does anyone know how to stop him?" asked Nightcrawler. Everyone looked at each  
  
other.  
  
"I think I could calm him down." Jean volunteered, and she began to concentrate, putting her fingers to her temples.  
  
After a few seconds, the boy began to slow down, and the X-jet continued to match his speed. Soon he stopped, and  
  
the jet landed almost over top of him. Nightcrawler teleported out and caught Nathan when he fell to his knees, just  
  
before his face could hit the ground.  
  
His blue jeans had been turned to a tattered pair of shorts; almost all the material up to the thigh had disappeared. It  
  
seemed that only now that the boy had began to breath heavily, and his face was just now beginning to turn red.  
  
Nightcrawler Bamfed the boy back into the jet, and helped strap him into an empty chair. "Alright," shouted Wolverine  
  
"we've got a time limit here. Let's go!" The jet lifted itself into the air and shot through the morning sky.  
  
____________  
  
Half an hour later, the X-jet landed safely at the institute. Nathan was shaken awake by the landing, and started looking  
  
wildly around himself. His seatbelt soundlessly fell off his chest, falling apart at three points. Wolverine, seeing this,  
  
rushed to calm the boy down. At the sight of Wolverine, Nathan's eyes got large, and the back of his chair fell to the  
  
ground. "Hey, kid" wolverine whispered assuringly, seeing the boy's fear increase the potentsy of his power.  
  
"Remember me? We're the one who're trying to help, remember?"  
  
Nathan's seat pretty much stopped falling apart, and it seemed he had calmed down. Wolverine and Kitty helped the  
  
still-woozy Nathan out of the X-jet, and into the House part of the institute. From there, Wolverine found an empty  
  
room, and Kurt found him some fresh, but worn out clothing. Nathan changed out of what was once a pair of blue  
  
jeans, and into a faded black shirt and an old pair of cargo- pants jeans. He also donned a pair of gray socks, and some  
  
sandals.  
  
A few minutes later, when he was feeling better, Nathan was taken to see the professor.  
  
"Welcome to the Xavier institute for the gifted! I'm Professor Xavier." greeted the man in the wheelchair, extending a  
  
hand towards Nathan. Nathan took the professors hand, and shook it gently, as if he expected it to fall off. "Um... Hi.  
  
I'm Nathan." He quickly released the professor's hand.  
  
"Please, have a seat." offered the Professor, indicating a large, squarish metal chair just across from his own  
  
wheelchair. Nathan took an examining glance at the chair, and sat down. "So," started the professor "I've heard a great  
  
deal about you, Nathan. It seems you're mutation is more complex than you first suspected. Can you explain this?"  
  
Nathan shook his head "I don't really think so."  
  
"I see." frowned the professor. "I usually don't ask, for privacy reasons, I but have powerful psychic abilities. Do you  
  
mind if I search your memories of today for any clues?"  
  
"Will it hurt?" asked Nathan  
  
Xavier waved his hand in a dismissing manor "It shouldn't hurt at all."  
  
Nathan thought about it for a minute. He began to blush. "You're only going to look at today, right?"  
  
Xavier smiled, knowingly "I'll try."  
  
_______________________  
  
"According to medical files, his mother had a heart condition, in which her heart would skip every 5th or 6th beat. It  
  
wasn't harmful in any way, according to her file, just unusual. Then one day it merely disappeared. It leads me to  
  
believe his mother may be a mutant as well." explained Xavier "Apparently, Nathan has a similar condition, except at  
  
random, anywhere from three times a day to once in a month. His heart skips several beats, bringing it to an almost  
  
complete stop. He wasn't hurt in any way, though, so he hasn't seen a doctor about it."  
  
"All right, but how does that relate what happened this morning?" asked wolverine, growing impatient.  
  
"When Nathan felt his life was in danger, it obviously caused his heartbeat to increase in speed. At about the moment  
  
that Nathan's heart had hit it's maximum speed, he had a 'heart skip' that completely threw off his heartbeat  
  
altogether. His heart, as you know, stopped beating, and he began to die. Luckily, his mutant ability was much more  
  
then he had originally thought! His mutant ability allows him to collect energy from around him, from sunlight, wind,  
  
water, and often physical objects, thus causing things around him to destabilize in tiny, unnoticeable fissures. Then, he  
  
can harness this energy in multiple fashions. His power seems to grow stronger with his emotions. That is why  
  
Sabertooth's garments and Nathan's shirt where completely destroyed by Nathan's powers. He used that energy to  
  
energize his cells when his heart wasn't pumping, and to start his own heart up again. All of it was subconscious, like  
  
breathing."  
  
"And that explains how he had super strength, and why he had super speed, and why he never got tired till Jean  
  
stopped him. And, of course, why things keep falling apart around him."  
  
"Precisely. And that is why he would make an excellent addition to our team, if he could only keep his power focused,  
  
and in control."  
  
"What are you gonna' do about it?"  
  
"I believe that with practice, Nathan can learn to control his power. His emotional link to his powers has led me to that  
  
conclusion. I've asked him to meet with me outside in half an hour." the professor sighed "I sent Scott to get him  
  
something to eat. I don't like to discriminate, or leave a newcomer feeling like an outsider, but until he learns more  
  
control, I'd like to keep him out of the house as much as possible. It's merely for the safety of the others, even his own  
  
safety, but..."  
  
"I understand, Charles. But you gotta do what you gotta do."  
  
........ Now, if you would be so kind.REVIEW! 


	3. Practice Makes Perfect

Yes, Nathan's is an original superpower. I came up with it one day, when I was frustrated at myself for breaking so many things accidentally (I really don't know my own strength), and started noticing all the other things that were falling apart around me, seemingly without my help. With a bit of thinking, and a review of some past experiences, I came up with what you see before you. Bwahahahahaaaa..! I came up with it. It is mine, as well as the character, Nathan. I don't, however, own any of the other characters in this story. Yet.  
  
............................................  
  
Nathan was pacing back and forth in the open grass outside the mansion. He had finished his breakfast  
  
10 minute ago, and had been waiting for the professor outside the whole time. He didn't have a watch,  
  
since they usually didn't last long anyway, and he couldn't see any clocks outside, so he had no idea  
  
how much longer he'd have to wait. Luckily, it wasn't much longer.  
  
The professor wheeled his way outside. "Are you comfortable sitting in the grass?"  
  
"Sure, I don't mind." Nathan shrugged, after glancing down at the dry, smooth grass, and sat down.  
  
"Are you ready?" asked the professor.  
  
"As ready as I'll ever be, I guess."  
  
Xavier took a rock out of a pouch resting beside him on his wheelchair. He handed the rock to Nathan.  
  
"I want you to concentrate on breaking this rock, but nothing else. Do you think you can do it?"  
  
"I'll try." sighed Nathan, and closed his eyes, rock resting in his mostly open palm. The rock started to  
  
flake off into tiny bits, when Nathan's shirtsleeve fell off, bunching up to rest on his bent elbow.  
  
Nathan's eyes snapped open, and shifted between the sleeve and the professor. "Sorry."  
  
"This could take some time." sighed the professor, and put 2 fingers to his forehead.  
  
Soon, Kurt Bamfed outside with an armful of clothes and a larger bag of rocks. He handed the bag to  
  
the professor, and dumped the clothes beside Nathan. "Good luck!" whispered Kurt, then Bamfed away.  
  
Nathan had figured out that these were going to be needed for the long training lesson ahead.  
  
___________  
  
"Very good! Now let's try something a little harder."  
  
Nathan and Xavier had been at it for 3 and half hours straight. Nathan was only now actually starting to  
  
get the hang of focused. It required a lot of concentration, and Nathan was now very much wired on all  
  
the extra energy he had collected. He felt like he needed to do something with all this energy, and so the  
  
professor had decided to try something new. He handed Nathan 2 more rocks, and issued a new  
  
experimental challenge. "Try running around the field. When you start to get even a little tired, try to  
  
use your power only on the rocks in your hand. Oh, but first, go inside quickly, and change your pants  
  
again."  
  
"Alright!" Nathan replied, and went running inside, brushing past Wolverine, who had come to check  
  
up on how things were going. Wolverine came and stood by Xavier's side, looking back at the house  
  
for just a second.  
  
"So, how're things going with the new kid? Get much progress?"  
  
"I suspected this would be difficult. Simply concentrating on only one thing is probably difficult for  
  
him. He has ADD."  
  
Wolverine looked at the professor with confusion. "what's that, one of those sex diseases?"  
  
"No, Attention Deficit Disorder is a condition in which a person can't keep focused on only one thing  
  
for extended period of time. The slightest things distract him, and his mind is a mishmash of thoughts.  
  
It's treatable with medication, though. He was on Dexedrine, until the summer started, and his parents  
  
found it was no longer necessary while he was out of school. I'd like to put him back on if it helps him  
  
any, but I can't get a proper prescription for another week."  
  
"Sorry to hear that." said Wolverine.  
  
Nathan came running out of the Institute, his hands clutching the rocks, running past the older mutants  
  
in a flurry of speed. A minute later, the boy came walking back, his pant legs ripped up the side, his  
  
shirt torn down the sleeves, and a slight frown on his face. "Sorry" he sighed as he got another set of  
  
clothing "I guess I'm not ready for this kind of thing yet." Nathan trudged back into the house.  
  
"We're gonna have to get that kid a lot of clothes. Something sturdy, like leather." mentioned  
  
Wolverine, as turned and headed back into the Mansion.  
  
______________  
  
It was about noon, and as much energy as he'd been absorbing, Nathan was still better off eating some  
  
lunch. It would help cut back some on his unintentional breaking. He slipped on a pair of old sandals,  
  
and walked towards the kitchen. In shorts and a T-shirt, Nightcrawler came strolling by, as surprised to  
  
see Nathan as Nathan was to see him.  
  
"Hey, your the new kid, aren't you!" said Kurt, thrusting out his open hand. "My name's Kurt! What's  
  
yours, again? Wolverine mentioned it before, but it escapes me now."  
  
Nathan shook Kurt's hand, a smile forming on his lips. This Kurt guy, despite his looks, seemed  
  
friendly. "My name's Nathan. Nathan Laskey"  
  
"Hey, Cool! Hey, so How did it go with the professor?"  
  
"It went..." Nathan hesitated. "I think it went OK. You'd have to ask Professor Xavier, though."  
  
"Hey, the professor's a pretty good guy! He'd probably say it's going alright!"  
  
Nathan brightened. Kurt was the kind of person he always looked for in a friend, plus a little more.  
  
"So, know any one else yet?"  
  
"Just you, Wolverine, and Xavier." replied Nathan, feeling comfortable around Kurt already.  
  
"Well come on then, some of us are about to eat some lunch! You can meet some of the others there!"  
  
and before Nathan could say anything, Kurt grabbed Nathan by the arm and Bamfed to the kitchen door.  
  
"The others don't like me teleporting into the kitchen. They say it smells..." Nightcrawler smirked. "But  
  
just for a second!"  
  
With that, Kurt opened the door to the kitchen. There were 2 girls in the kitchen, on opposite ends of  
  
the room, and 2 guys sitting at the table.  
  
"This isn't everyone," commented Kurt. "But this is most of our X-men group." His voice grew louder  
  
"Hey Every one! This is Nathan!"  
  
Spike and Cyclops looked up in surprise, seeing the new kid for the first time. Rouge gave a little wave  
  
of her hand, a half grin on her face as she remembered a few hours ago, when the new boy had very  
  
little on. Though she'd probably would never admit it, he looked good shirtless. Jean just glanced  
  
around the room, as if someone had just farted, but she couldn't figure out where it was coming from.  
  
So she tried ignoring whatever was bothering her. She looked up at Nathan and gave a little wave,  
  
almost forcing a little smile.  
  
Kurt continued the introductions "Nathan, this is Cyclops,"  
  
"Hi!"  
  
"Spike,"  
  
"Hey dude!"  
  
"Jean,"  
  
"Pleased to meet you."  
  
"And Rouge!"  
  
"Hey."  
  
"So now that we know each other, let's eat!"  
  
Kurt was pretty much talking to Nathan and himself, since everyone else was already eating. He began  
  
to rummage through the cupboards. "Hey, where's all the Peanut butter?"  
  
____________________________  
  
Nathan had finished Lunch a few minutes ago, and was back to practicing. He was on his own, and was  
  
now interested in what he could do with his power. He put his hands in the pile of rocks sitting in front  
  
of him, and concentrated on taking energy from them. As he felt the energy building inside himself, he  
  
mentaly began searching himself for some kind of trigger. Something that he had never used. The  
  
professor had said that his power was limitless, if he were only to practice enough. As he concentrated  
  
on them, his hands began to feel as if they had fallen asleep. He pulled his hands out of the rocks, and  
  
found that a bright glow had formed around them. His eyes grew wide and Nathan fought to keep his  
  
concentration. "HOLY SH-"  
  
_________  
  
A large explosion was heard, as the tree was completely destroyed. Nathan had seen it 3 times, now, but  
  
it was still amazing. He watched it's wreckage burn, and only now realized that the trees were probably  
  
not the best place to direct his newfound power. He grabbed the last 2 rocks and ran towards the  
  
institute, just as Wolverine, Cyclops and spike came running outside. Nightcrawler came teleporting  
  
behind them.  
  
"Are you OK?" asked Scott.  
  
"Honestly, I've never felt better!" shouted Nathan as he ran to show them his new discovery.  
  
"What the heck was that? What happened to those trees?" asked Wolverine.  
  
"I did that! Sorry about the trees, but it was amazing! Like pure energy came out of my hands! Have  
  
you ever seen such a thing!?!"  
  
"Actually," interrupted Wolverine "Yes, I think we have."  
  
Nathan looked at wolverine with a raised Eyebrow. "What?"  
  
"Never mind him!" said Kurt, with a grin. "Let's see this new power in action!"  
  
"So, it's off to the Danger room, then!" smiled Wolverine.  
  
"Um, how about when he's had more experience." suggested Scott "Until then, there's a bunch of  
  
training programs that I usually use right out here!"  
  
"Well then," grumbled a sarcastic Wolverine, shoving his hands into his pockets, "Let's get right to it!"  
  
....................................  
  
REVIEW!!! NOW!!! Or I'll have Nathan blast you to The Next Dimension!!!! 


	4. There's something about Cyclops

Sorry about the long wait. I had just gotten home from my first real vacation ever, and  
  
found out that my friend Conrad (may god be with him) had fallen off a cliff to his death  
  
while I was away. Then there's school starting, my birthday, and I just got a full time job.  
  
I have no time WHATSOEVER!!!! NOTTA!!! So if this chapter sucks, it's rushed stuff  
  
that I write just before school or work! SORRY!!!  
  
------------------------------------------  
  
The last target was decimated, and Nathan stood triumphant over the demolished  
  
beginners course. His clothes were ripped and torn, once again, since he was determined  
  
to finish the course even after he had destroyed all the other inorganic objects within arms  
  
reach of him.  
  
"Nice job, Kid." complimented Wolverine "But keep in mind, this was the sissy course.  
  
Tomorrow, we go to the REAL danger room!"  
  
"Hey!" exclaimed Cyclops, annoyed "That's up to the professor, remember?"  
  
"Whatever." shrugged Wolverine, walking back to the mansion. Cyclops and Nathan  
  
watched Wolverine walk away in silence.  
  
"That guy" growled Cyclops, assured that Wolverine was out of hearing range "is really  
  
starting to get on my nerves!"  
  
Nathan looked suspiciously at Cyclops. He was acting differently than at lunch. At lunch,  
  
he seemed helpful and level headed. But over the course of Nathan's targeting "lesson",  
  
he seemed to become more impatient and less balanced. It seemed very strange.  
  
"What did you say?" asked Cyclops, looking toward Nathan.  
  
"Hm? I didn't say anything."  
  
"Oh. I thought you said something." mumbled Cyclops, turning away and looking at his  
  
watch. "Holy... is that the time? It's almost dinnertime! Let's get going, Nathan."  
  
Nathan slipped on his pair of sandals and headed in after Cyclops, to change his clothes  
  
and to eat.  
  
____________  
  
"So," the professor remarked, not long after dinner. "Wolverine has told me about your  
  
newest discovery. I congratulate you on finding so much about your newfound power in  
  
just one day! Perhaps this evening we could try to control your breaking ability again?"  
  
"Sure. I'd like that." replied Nathan, walking beside the professor's wheelchair. "It would  
  
be nice to wear some *real* clothes again!"  
  
______________  
  
The crickets chirped in the distance, the moon was high in the sky, and Nathan was  
  
getting frustrated. Professor-X was rubbing his temples, and Nathan suspected that the  
  
professor felt just as frustrated as himself, only making his mood worse. As powerful as  
  
Nathan seem to have become, there didn't seem to be an off switch to his power! For  
  
hours, Xavier had been trying different techniques and approaches, but none seemed  
  
effective. Only when Nathan fell asleep, during yet another meditation attempt, did  
  
Nathan's breaking ability completely shut off. Finally, at midnight, it was decided that he  
  
would sleep outside, as a safety precaution for everyone, in a tent in the back yard. A  
  
strong, sturdy one.  
  
*********************************** Memorial to Conrad:  
  
Even though we weren't the closest friends, he was a great guy. He was talented, smart funny, nice, and a bit of a looker, too. He made people around him feel good, and he wrote/sang/improvised some amazing songs. Religion is helping, thought, knowing that he's watching us now, in a place where his great personality, character and creativity won't be tampered or torn by life. My greatest sadness is that he'll never experience some of the joys of life, like getting married, having children, or any of the other things I think he was looking forward to. It's a shame that so many good people die. Life may not be fair, but it's all we have... for now. This ginger ale's for you, Conrad!  
  
Please review. 


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